


It's a Small Town, Lemme Get to Know Ya

by saltrings_and_warpspeed



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Tarsus IV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-15 03:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4591797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltrings_and_warpspeed/pseuds/saltrings_and_warpspeed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim is your typical all-American boy... well not completely. His appearance fits the stereotypes to a tee. Blonde haired, blue-eyed boy whose grin melts all the girl's hearts. But Jim has always been more than that, a kind of puzzle. With a father six feet under, a terrible replacement, and a missing mother, things aren't exactly peaches and cream. He also happens to be a Tarsus survivor. But one of the most important things Jim has learned is it's a damn small world.</p><p>Updates weekly</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The smoke rises as the smell of rotting flesh permeates the air. All he can do is run. Run faster. Have to get away. They are coming.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jim plopped down at a lunch table near hall 101 and began to prod at his “mashed potatoes”.

“You know, Jimmy, it’s not polite to play with your food”

That would be the voice of Hikaru Sulu, sophomore at Atwood high and best friend to the one and only Jim Kirk.

“I don’t think this can truly be categorized as food, man”, Jim replied while scowling at said potatoes as if they had insulted him.

Hikaru and Jim had been friends since the eighth grade when they both made the bold decision to join the fencing team. Now, in their sophomore year of high school, they were as inseparable as ever. As Jim made up his mind about braving the potatoes, both boys noticed a new kid walk by. You might think this to be inconsequential, but in a town as small as Riverside, everyone knew everyone and newcomers always stuck out like a sore thumb. The new kid was a boy that looked to be around the same age as Jim, but very different in appearance. He had shaggy brown hair that hung in his face and was seemingly shrouded in his black attire. His hoody (black, of course) had a skeleton on it. But what Jim noticed is that this was no crappy “skater boy” jacket from target for every bone was labeled accordingly and it seemed to fit perfectly on his body, as if hand-made. Jim was trying to read the hoody when-

“Jim, you’re staring…” muttered Hikaru with a knowing smirk

“I am not!” Jim flushed scarlet and stared intently at the potatoes from hell.

Before Jim could make a convincing argument, the kid was gone and it was time for advanced physics. ‘Oh joy’, Jim thought, as he trudged to class. His professor was the one and only Mr. Spock. A hard-ass in the eyes of most, but Jim felt the guy would crack and give into his charm eventually. Jim slyly placed an apple on his teacher’s desk and went to take his seat-  
Well… it was his seat. Wasn’t it?  
Great, just great. Damn new kids.

“Hey uhhh…” (Wow this guy is kinda hot… DAMMIT JIM EYES ON THE PRIZE)

“Leonard.” (That name does not fit at all. Guy has a nice accent though… Kentucky? FOCUS JIMMY)

“Right, Leonard, you’re sitting in my seat so could you umm…”

“I don’t see your name on it.”

And if anything shocked Jim, it was that. This guy had one big attitude and that could get you into trouble in Riverside, not that Jim knew from experience or anything. So, he, quite magnanimously, took the sole seat residing which just so happened to be right next to Cupcake. While you may laugh at the nickname, Cupcake was not a sugar frosted guy. He’d tormented Jim ever since they were in elementary school. And Jim, for the life of him, did not know how to shut up when he was losing the battle. Jim took the seat hoping with all his might that Cupcake would just stay quiet. But of course, Jim Kirk and luck were just two things that never went together and-

“Hey, faggot!”

Jim groaned, “Piss off, Cupcake.”

“Oh, sorry, don’t want to get between you and the new kid, huh? You beg him to let you blow him yet, Jimmy?” Cupcake sneered.

Before Jim could think of a comeback, Mr. Spock walked in and the room fell silent. Class that day was pretty unproductive what with it being only a few weeks until winter vacation. Even Mr. Spock had the heart enough to lay off on the homework load. Class ended as quickly as it began and Jim nearly sprang from his seat to get away from Cupcake, but to no avail. The brute slammed Jim into his locker and lifted him by his shirt collar.

“Miss me, Cupcake?”

“Call me that again and you’ll regret it you cocksucker!”

Jim, the fucking idiot, had the gall to mouth the nickname as obnoxiously as possible. Cupcake drew back a meaty fist and slugged Jim in the stomach and was preparing to take a second blow when he was flung backwards. Then, Jim saw Leonard, who had apparently come to his rescue, bend back the arm of Cupcake, who howled in pain.

“If you don’t lay off I’ll break your arm, don’t think I won’t”

“Alright, alright let go of me, asshole”, Cupcake whined.

Leonard (Ugh, what an awful name. OH SHIT I GOT IT, this guy is Bones! Yes, it’s perfect. I am a genius.) relented and the bully took off, scowling.

“You know, you didn’t have to do that”

“Oh really?” Bones smiled and wow he should do that more often.

“Well, anyway thanks, Bones”, Jim beamed.

“Don’t mention- wait, what did you call me?”

“Fitting, isn’t it. I mean you got your mysterious skeleton hoody and you did just almost break a guy’s arm. Anyway, see ya around, Bones!” Jim strutted away casually.

“It’s Leonard, dammit!” Bones shouted after him.

‘Not anymore’ Jim thought with a wide grin.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk home was degrading. The house hadn’t truly been a home to Jim since he was 8 and his mother had decided to go back to space. Space, the thing that had taken his father from him and left him with a shell of a mother. Fucking space. And yet, the stars fascinated Jim to no end. Then there was Frank, the rotten bastard. Ever since Jim got back, there was a new “man of the house”, but Frank was decidedly the worst. Sometimes, if Jim snuck up-stairs quickly enough and locked his door, Frank would leave him alone. Today was not one of those days.

The front door creaked softly as Jim entered his house. No, Frank’s house. He walked pass the couch to see Frank, seemingly, out cold. Jim moved swiftly but his stomach still hurt from the “present” from Cupcake earlier in the day and he was a little clumsy. He nearly tripped on an empty beer bottle at the base of the stairs, wishing he had. He turned fast to Frank towering above him.

“You wake me up, boy?”

“It-it was an accident… I’ll pick up the glass”, Jim stuttered hoping Frank was in a “good mood” today. But Luck, ever the cold hearted bitch-

“You’re gonna pay, son…”

Frank punched him in the nose. Jim could hear the crunch of cartilage and bone as pain shot up his skull. Dazed, Jim raced up the steps. He still had the advantage of speed on the old fat ass. He locked the door to his room and placed a chair under the door knob. Frank usually left him alone at this point but one could never be too careful. Jim walked to his dresser and pulled out a bag of potato chips. Bon apetit.

-

Jim couldn’t stop thinking about Bones. The guy was quite the puzzle and Jim was drawn to him. This was why Jim sought him out the next day (or at least that was what he told himself the reason was). Luckily (HA luck…) he found Bones after only a few minutes. The place he found him was what… complicated things. There he was, in Jim’s first period gym class, in the locker room, with nothing on but his boxers.

(DAMMIT WHY DO THESE THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME… oh god he’s really hot. Is-is that a tattoo? JIM GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF.)  
Thankfully, Bones hadn’t noticed Jim floundering and Jim had the chance to duck and run to his own locker. But guess who the fuck also happened to be there, definitely not coincidentally.

“Who were you staring at, perv?”… Oh Cupcake, no one more goddamn reliable! 

“No one, let me get to my locker… please.”

“Ha! ‘Please’! Bet you say the same thing when you’re getting fucked up the ass, right, slut?”

“You better shut the fuck up now, Cupcake.” Jim threatened. Bad idea.

“Shouldn’t have said that, Jimmy.”

Jim was surrounded on all sides by Cupcakes bulky cronies. He tried to slip through them anyway but with no such luck. Two of them (Jim couldn’t remember nor really cared what their names were) grabbed his arms and began to drag him through the locker room. They opened the door to a small storage closet (no god why please no this can’t happen no no no) and threw him in, blocking the door. This is when Jim began to panic, or, more precisely, have a panic attack.

-

Someone is screaming in agony. The walls seem to be closing in. He’s so hungry. Hadn’t had a good meal in what felt like months. The hunger has become a near constant, gnawing pain. It’s so damn dark. Jim forgets what the light is like before long. Still the screaming. Screaming. HE is screaming…

-

When Jim came-to he was in the nurse’s office. What the hell happened? All he could remember was the storage closet and- oh. Right. Now, on top of everything else, everyone would think Jim is a freak, too. Great. He turned his head slowly toward the door and saw Bones. He had clothes on now and Jim didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed. He looked to be talking to the school nurse. 

Oh god, he’s walking over here.  
“Are you okay, Jim?”

Did he ask if I was okay? I think so. I’ll chance it.  
“’m fine” Jim croaked.

“Do you remember what happened back there?”

Ugh, so many questions.   
“I remember getting shoved into a storage closet, yeah, but after that it’s kinda… fuzzy.”

The nurse strolled over to the two boys.  
“You’re lucky to have a guy like him,” the nurse said well naturedly

At which point Bones turned three shades of red. While not very sexy, it was sort of endearing.  
“Uh he uh… we’re not uh…,” Bones made furious hand gestures as he stuttered.

“Oh, I’m sorry I just assumed… I have some paper-work to take care of.” She was gone in a flash.

The boys sat quietly for a minute until Bones spoke up.  
“You started screaming, you know. Scared the shit out of everyone, even the bullies.”

“Damn, sorry I missed out on that.” Jim said with a wry grin. He was shocked by the small chuckle it got out of Bones. 

Of course the nurse had been eavesdropping.   
“You know, he broke three arms and a nose trying to get you out,” the nurse input helpfully. 

And boy was that jarring.   
“Really... why?” 

“I don’t like seeing people get hurt. It’s kinda the reason I want to be a doctor someday. Anyway, they were idiots and they deserved what they got.” Bones concluded. Jim thought about how that perfectly explained the hoody. A sawbones. Huh.

“Hmmmm, I think it’s cuz you like me, Bonesy,” Jim chided.

“That’s not it!” Bones grumped then muttered, “You damn fool, kid.”

Jim mouthed ‘He likes me’ to the nurse which got a giggle from her and a scowl from Bones.  
A start to a beautiful relationship if there ever was one, Jim thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys :) , I'm updating this early because I have a lot to do this weekend and wanted to make sure I uploaded by Sunday, enjoy!

Fucking finally. Winter vacation. Jim, however, wasn’t too excited. Vacation just meant more time with Frank and more time with Frank meant… well, you know. However, when the final bell rang and Jim began the death trek “home”, Bones caught up with him near the basketball court. Despite it only having been a mere three weeks since they met, Jim and Bones had really hit it off and were already becoming close friends. Bones was smiling, Jim got the impression he loved the winter holidays, but the cheeriness slipped as he got closer.

“You okay, Jim?” Jim had to get that look off his face, the smile had been a nice change.

“I’m fine, Bones, really.” He put on his best fake grin and hoped Bones would just leave it be.

“Do I look stupid?” Bones deadpanned.

‘No, but it was worth a shot…’ Jim thought.

“I’ll be okay, honestly,” Jim tried again. Bones finally gave in.

“Alright, but you call me if you need anything.”

Jim smirked. “I’m touched, Bonesy, but it’s kinda hard to call someone if you don’t have their number.”

Bones blushed. “Oh well ummm… hold on,” Bones stuttered as he rooted through his black backpack (figures) for a pen. He hastily scribbled the seven digit number onto Jim’s left forearm. 

Jim smiled, for real this time. “Thanks, Bones,” he mumbled.

And for the first time in a while, he meant it.

~

The first few days went fairly smooth. Jim had gathered enough dry food supplies at his last trip to the store to be able to hole up in his room, at least for a little while. With Frank lazing downstairs on the couch, it was as if they were in two different worlds. It was too good to be true, and both worlds discovered that four days into winter break. 

~

Jim woke in a cold sweat. Another night, another nightmare. He walked to the window of upstairs bedroom and gazed in awe at the snow covered field.

Fresh fallen snow, not a footprint in sight. It was beautiful. He turned his attention to the old country road leading to the farmhouse as the sound of a vehicle rose over the horizon. It was strange to have unfamiliar cars come bustling down the street, but not unheard of. Jim figured it was probably some lost tourists or some idiots looking to “hook-up” in one of the abandon fields down the way. 

As the car got closer, Jim noticed the Starfleet insignia emblazoned on the side. And it hit him. Like the oncoming force of a train, he knew. He started to panic, but something clicked and he was a man with purpose. He gathered a few clothing items and fit as many cans of food in his backpack as possible. With gusto, he strode down the stairs and into the garage before Frank could utter a single word. He saddled his motorcycle (he had been working on it since last summer and had finally gotten it to start a few days ago) and slowly pulled out of the garage. 

As he sped off, he caught a glimpse of the person stepping out of the car. A woman, tall with blonde hair and falsely warm green eyes.

Winona Kirk was home.

~

Jim almost forgot where he was headed. He was nearly blind with rage and deeply hidden pain. Eventually, he arrived in downtown Riverside, parked his bike, and walked to the town’s only phone booth. Since it was fairly early on a Sunday morning no less, the line was open. Jim dug in his left pocket until he pulled out a faded strip of paper. He punched in the seven digits from the scrap and hoped.

The phone only rang a couple of times before a woman with a sweet southern lilt answered the phone.

“This is Mrs. McCoy, to whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking?”

Jim paused before thinking ‘what the hell’ and saying: “This is Jim Kirk, I’m a friend of Leonard’s. Could I ah talk to him?”

“Sure thing, hun,” she said before she called for Bones.

Jim was starting to think this was a stupid idea when Bones picked up the line.

“Hey, Jim. What’s up?”

“Hi, Bones… you uh, you know how you said I could call you if I needed anything?”

His tone turned serious, “Jim, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, I’ll tell you later. I know you’re probably busy and I hate asking, but… could I come over? Just for a little bit, I’ll leave if you need me to.”

Bones became worried. “Sure, Jim, I’m not busy. My address is…”

Jim frantically searched for a piece of paper and pen to jot it down.

“Do you need a ride?”

“I’ll manage.” Jim smiled a little.

~

The drive over was quick but Jim hesitated as he stared up at the imposing house.

Honestly, it was quite the shock. Seeing Bones wear the same hoody and jeans outfit nearly every day of the week, Jim had assumed the guy was about as well off as himself. Man, was that assumption off. He finally got up the courage to knock on the large oak door.  
Thankfully, it was Bones who answered.

“Hey, Jim. Come on in, I guess…” Bones sounded groggy and his hair was sleep mussed.

Jim internally damned him for being so adorably grouchy this early in the morning.

Bones’ house had, to Jim’s surprise, a very modest interior. No obnoxious chandeliers or intricate tile floor design. There were worn leather couches. Family photographs resting on various shelves. And despite only having walked in mere seconds ago, he felt…safe. Just as Bones and Jim took a seat on the large sofa, Bones’ mother emerged from the kitchen.

“I suppose this is the infamous Jim Kirk,” she said with a warm smile.

After introductions were in order, Jim was led up the grand staircase to Bones’ room. Mrs. McCoy had been surprisingly okay with Jim showing up at their home without warning. He would have expected confusion or maybe even disgust, but she treated him with nothing but kindness. Bones pushed open the door to his room and ushered Jim in.

The room was a nice change of scenery. Jim noted that even Bones wasn’t better than the coke cans littering the floor and piled laundry room of a teenager. The main difference was the choice in decoration. Every poster was some sort of diagram of the human body. As weird as it seemed, Jim thought it was pretty neat. But before Jim could comment on the choice of décor, Bones spoke up.

“All right, Jim, spit it out.”

“What? A guy can’t come visit his friend?” Jim hedged.

“This is serious.”

Jim sighed. “I just… needed to get out of my house for a little while, okay?” He hoped that might get him off the chopping block, at least for the time being.

Bones relented “Okay, Jim, but you know you are going to have to explain eventually?”

Jim nodded.

~

The two boys decided to spend the rest of the day eating Junk food (much to Bones’ dislike) and watching shitty movies. It was the most fun Jim had had in a long time. Maybe ever.  
Jim glanced out the bedroom window and noticed the encroaching darkness.

“I-uh… guess I should probably be going then…” Jim trailed off as he reached for his leather jacket.

Bones reached out and stopped him. Jim looked up to see an intense expression of concern on his friend’s face.

“Look, you must be here for a reason and I know you wouldn’t have come over unless it was important so you can… you can stay here if you need to,” Bones offered.

“Bones, I can’t just-“

“Stay, Jim.” He said more forcefully.

“Okay,” Jim complied.

He slept without fear or hate or shame. He almost forgot about Winona, too. Almost.


	4. Chapter 4

He hadn’t had this one in a long time. They were running through the forest, always running. Though, when they stopped to catch their breath, a moment passed between the two boys. The older child stooped down and gently plucked a flower from the field. It was a delicate thing. Fragile. But somehow beautiful. He placed it in the younger child’s palm and they smiled. Bright, hopeful smiles. And then, they ran again. Always running.

~

Jim woke slowly, hesitantly, trying to hold on to the memory. It seemed like such a long time ago. Despite it being one of his few happy childhood memories, he felt deep guilt. He never found out what had happened to the other boy. His friend. He had never even tried. By now he was likely dead. Or worse. Jim shuddered. 

Well, no sense dwelling on the past, he thought. He stretched. Jim had almost forgotten that he had stayed the night. However, when he looked up, he saw that Bones was no longer in the room. Jim grabbed his leather jacket and started to make his way down the hall. You’d think this would be a manageable task, but with Jim nothing was simple. Two steps down and he ran into the wall. The fucking wall. Damn his terrible depth perception. He heard footsteps from the stairs. 

“Jim! Are you okay?”

Of fucking course. Only Bones could look so damn attractive after hours of sleep. DAMN IT JIM HE’S YOUR FRIEND. 

“Yeah I’m fine I just uh… tripped.”

Smooth Jim. Way to go. Have a gold star.

“Oh… Alright, well I made breakfast so…”

Stop being so perfect, Jim thought.

Well, he only thought it, right?

Shit, he said that out loud…

“Well, Jimmy, someone’s gotta be around here!” Bones winked.

That bastard.

~

Of course he’s a good cook.

Of fucking course.

After breakfast, the boys did what any other normal teenagers would do.

They watched cartoons.

During one of the commercial breaks, Jim glanced over and happened to notice Bones fast asleep, sprawled over half of the other couch. Which was NOT adorable. No. Nope. Dammit.

A wave of uneasiness hit as Jim came to the realization of what he was going to have to face at home. And sooner rather than later. He grabbed his leather jacket off the kitchen counter and made his way towards the door. 

Though as he passed by the living room again, he stopped. He thought about how people should not be this damn cute while sleeping, and proceeded to lightly kiss Bones’ forehead. Smiling to himself, Jim slid through the front door feeling slightly less worried about the confrontation ahead.

~

The front door clicks shut softly. Leonard is grinning from ear to ear and turns to see his mother looking at him with a puzzled expression. He blushes bright red and she smirks in realization  
“Hey, Leo...What’s got you so happy?”

~

The motorcycle engine roars to a stop as Jim makes his way up the poorly kept driveway. The house looks the same on the outside. Same shitty windows. Same lifeless plants. But something on the inside has irrevocably changed. If Jim had disliked this place before, well, now it was absolute hell. As soon as he crossed the entryway it seemed as if all of the air in the house went cold. A bone chilling, ominous cold. Jim made a bee-line for the stairs, but was stopped by a callous voice and a glare like daggers. 

“Where have you been, Jimmy?”

“Out and don’t call me that,” he replied through clenched teeth.

“Now, is that any way to treat your mother? After all I’ve done for you, you should be more caring.”

“I should be more caring! Now that’s rich, even for you.”

Winona Kirk tried to get another word in edge-wise, but Jim cut her off before she could even open her mouth.

“Do YOU care, Winona? Do you care about the fact that you left me here with Frank for four years? Or that I drove a goddamn car off of a cliff? Have you ever cared, because I would find that extremely hard to believe!”

Winona plucked absently at a loose thread from her sweater. “Of course I care, Jim.”

Jim’s expression turned deadly. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you care.”

…

Jim huffed, “That’s what I thought.”

He dashed up the stairs and slammed the door to his room. After all, wasn’t avoidance the best way to solve a problem?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short :/... If you guys would like me to post more often just comment a preference and I'll see what I can do :)


	5. Chapter 5

She didn't stay long. She never did. Winona Kirk was a rolling stone and Jim was just too painful of a reminder. Before she left, things were tense and Jim hardly came out of his room or only to hang out with Bones.

He felt bad, always being at his friend’s house but Bones insisted it was no problem. Jim wanted so badly to tell Bones all that had happened but he knew it was neither the right time to do so or the right thing to do. 

When Winona left, things got... Better. Frank was still and always an asshole, but "beggars can't be choosers right?" Jim thought. It seemed like in the blink of an eye, school was back and Jim was actually quite content. They were quite content until--

~

They're in front of what appears to be a large lake. Well, if lakes were full of a green, viscous goop. It had been a long day, every day was a long day, but this one had been particularly draining. The two boys sat in front of the slow burning campfire in a fairly comfortable silence. A person can forget how to use small talk when they spend the majority of their time trying to escape. Jim looks over at the other boy, analyzing him. They have only known each other for a few weeks but it's hard to remember being apart. Jim suddenly has the notion that if this kid is all he's got left then he is damn fortunate. The moment is ruined when the bushes behind them shuffle slightly. A dark figure starts to rise from the hedge, Jim, trying to get the other boy's attention shouts out his name yelling, screaming--!

~

Jim wakes in a cold sweat. These dreams had been occurring more often than not and he wanted a damn explanation. Cold feet shuffled their way towards the bathroom as he flicked on the light and stared at the boy in the mirror. He had deep bags under his eyes which were not as vividly colored as usual. Glancing at the ricked up part of Jim's shirt he scrutinized the branding scar. 

It was hideous, something Jim was terribly self-conscious about. It happened when he was around 12. Tarsus was going to shit and the people were making a last ditch attempt. The children and the weak were branded, if anyone was to die, it would be them. Jim rubbed at the tears welling up in his eyes as he made his way back to bed. Another sleepless night with only tragedies to keep him company

~

James Tiberius Kirk is the master of bull shit. Bull shit and extreme evasive maneuvers. However, Bones had been onto him about his “declining health” for weeks and it was really starting to get on Jim’s nerves. 

Jim often thought of how easy it would be to just tell Bones everything before remembering that he shouldn’t burden his friend that way. It was scary enough that he felt comfortable even thinking about spilling his heart out to Bones. This would soon become the mantra he would repeat if he felt he was going to start divulging secrets.

The thing was, Jim’s deteriorating stability was all due to his lack of sleep. His lack of sleep, was due to the dreams. Well, memories more like. He had been mostly rid of them a couple of months after everything had happened, but recently they had been occurring more and more frequently. As the days wore on, there came a point were neither Bones nor Jim could deal with Jim’s bad mood and drowsiness any longer.

“Jim, dammit, you could at least clue me in to why the hell you’re so grumpy lately,” Bones huffed in annoyance as he walked with Jim to their science class.

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m fine? I’m. Fine.”

“Apparently until you’ve driven me mad enough to believe that horse crap. Now tell me Jim I swear I will get the counselors involved if you don’t-“

“Fine”

Bones was about to continue ranting until he had registered what Jim had said, changing a look of anger to one of mild disbelief and worry.

Jim sighed, running his hand through his dirty blonde hair, “Look Bones, can we talk about this when we get to your house?”

~

When Jim got started, he didn’t hold back. He told Bones everything, his mother, Frank-… Well, everything except Tarsus because he was NOT going to pull his friend through that emotional wringer. 

For the most part, Bones listened to Jim with an attentive yet void of emotion expression, but when Jim began to talk about Frank, Bones’ politely detached face morphed into one of controlled rage. It took Jim a good twenty minutes to convince him not to call CPS and ruin Jim’s only chance of a fairly stable home.

After several minutes of coaxing however, Bones was able to get Jim to spend the night at his home making the point that it was “too late and pointless to go back now”. Jim would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy staying at Bones’ house. It was warm and inviting, unlike his own. And everything smelled like Bones too (Jim had given up on trying to repress his like of it), Georgia peaches and a warm day in spring.

Jim set his head on a pillow as Bones walked out of the bathroom. Jim was trying so hard to repress his feelings seeing the mop of unruly brown hair and faded t-shirt. 

{I don’t like Bones that way} Jim denied {Sure he’s hot but- wait what? NO! No no no goddammit…}

Jim rolled over facing the opposite wall as his eyelids grew heavy and dreams blurred into focus.

~

They were running again. Always running. Jim was in front of the other boy and took the opportunity to look back at their assailants. They looked to be 4 large men, not armed but still equally dangerous. Jim began to think that they could shake them. The boys made a sharp turn into the trees and just as he thought they were in the clear, there was sharp yelp and the smaller boy came crashing to the ground behind him. Jim spun on his heels to see the group of men advancing at an alarming rate. He began to sprint his way back before realizing that the group would get there before him. Jim stood, frozen, as he tried to make the split decision, heart beating nearly out of his chest. Guilt latching on like a leech, he began to run in the other direction

All he could hear was screaming.

The other boy screaming to be helped.

Screaming in agony.

Jim ran until there were no longer footfalls behind him, collapsing into a heap. And for once in his life he cried. He sobbed as the guilt ate away at him. He sobbed until there were no more tears, only pain. He thought of his friend. He had abandoned his only friend. He had lost a part of his humanity.

~

He snapped out of bed like he had been bitten, unshed tears just on the cusp of falling. It had been years but the guilt still felt like a hot knife in his stomach. He would never forgive himself. He kicked off the blanket and started to make his way to the bathroom by touch. Unfortunately, a particularly evil shoe decided to be right in his path causing him to collide with the hard wood floor.

Jim groaned, hoping more than anything no one had heard that before seeing a Bones shaped figure approaching.

{Well, shit… Maybe I can pretend I’m asleep?}

“Jim it’s 3 a.m., why the hell are you sprawled across the damn floor?”

{Fuck.}

Jim looked up, preparing to make a smart ass retort before seeing what he thought to be a tattoo on Bones’ hip and-  
Wait no, that isn’t a tattoo. 

The realization hit Jim like a freight train. The little boy, his bright hazel eyes and messy brown mop of hair.

Lenny

Leonard

Bones

He was here, he was alive, he was-  
Jim blacked out to the sound of his friends panicked voice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize for not posting sooner, I've been going through a lot lately. Anyway, thank you for reading and enjoy!

Thus began Jim’s avoidance game.

Oh, Len is going to study Chemistry in Mrs. Rushing’s room after school? Well, you know Jim won’t be.

It was tearing Leonard apart. He just couldn’t figure out what the hell he had done to piss off his closest friend. After Jim had passed out (which WAS rather strange now that he thought about it) Len had managed to wake him up with a splash of water to the face. Then, Jim had bolted. He wouldn’t even answer text messages for fuck’s sake!

It had been another stressful day. Len had to endure being lab partners with nose-picker Noah since Jim wouldn’t even glance in his direction and on top of that he had about 5 tests to study for. He made his way over to Jim to rant about school stress before catching himself and quickly turning tail. 

{Fuck, this is getting hard to do}

He got home and still didn’t feel any better than before. However, he vehemently denied his mother’s accusation that he was “moping”. Leonard McCoy did not mope, dammit! Haphazardly throwing his backpack on the floor, he collapsed onto his bed. Everything was useless, fucking hopeless. Len glanced at his phone just for the heck of it to see that someone actually HAD texted him.

{It’s probably my mom or something, I need to stop being so damn hopeful}

He was beyond shocked to see a message from Jim. He had never been so wary yet relieved by one text.

“Meet me in the parking lot after school tomorrow, we need to talk.”

~ ~ ~

Jim knew he had to stay away from Bones, but that didn’t make it any easier. All he ever wanted to do was talk to Bones. Or even just be near him, for that matter. So, here he was again, waiting for Sulu, at his now noticeably empty lunch table. Not even the terrible but undeniably consistent school slop could cheer him up. Thankfully, Sulu showed up before Jim became too engrossed in his despair. 

“Hey, Jimmy-boy! Why the long face?”

“Look, I’m really not in the mood today so could you just… not be yourself for like twenty minutes. That’d be grand.”

Sulu set down his tray, surprisingly unfazed by Jim’s sour attitude. 

“Jim, I know you’re upset about your lover’s spat with McCoy-“

“It wasn’t a-“

“If you don’t shut up for five minutes, Jim, I swear...”

Jim was still pissed, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to let Sulu ramble on for a few minutes.

“Alright, so whatever happened between you and McCoy must’ve been pretty damn bad. However, that doesn’t mean he deserves getting the cold shoulder from you. I may not know what happened, but I do know that you can fix it. I get that you don’t like telling people things and that you have a lot of secrets. Despite that, you have told him more things in a matter of weeks than you have told me in the five years we’ve been acquainted. Do you really think one problem is enough to ruin a bond like that? Because if so than I feel damn sorry for you.”

~

Jim mulled over what Sulu had said for the remainder for the day. Every time he had to avoid Bones he felt the guilt slowly eating him away. And after a while, he just said fuck it.

“Meet me in the parking lot after school tomorrow, we need to talk.”

The words surprised him, but there was no going back now.

...

Jim lay there, like a porcelain statue on the crisp sheets. The only sign of trauma was a thin scratch stretching across his left temple. Bones brushed back the hair like sunshine from Jim’s pale forehead, his best friend. All he could think was

Why?

Nothing is colder than the metal guard rails on a sterile hospital cot. Nothing except perhaps the person occupying it, Bones thought.

“What a damn time to be poetic,” he whispered.

~

Thankfully, the first part of his day had gone pretty well. No trouble from Cupcake, no crazy tests… no encounters with Bones. Jim was still trying to formulate a plan as to how he was going to tell him. Frustrated, he set his Physics book on the table a little harder than necessary, gaining more than a little unwanted attention.

“Hi, Jimmy!"

{Of fucking course}

“Go ahead Cupcake, throw a punch, and call me ‘faggot’!”

Cupcake just stood there, a half smirk on his ugly face.

“I’M WAITING, DAMMIT!” Jim shrieked.

The bully moved quick, lifting Jim up by the collar of his shirt. Jim mentally prepared himself for the hard hit that was surely coming. 

Cupcake leaned in, Jim could feel his rancid breath against his cheeks. 

“I don’t need to waste energy beating you, Jimmy. You’re worthless.”

Worthless, Frank had yelled.

Worthless, Winona thought.

Worthless, Bones surely knew.

Mind racing, Jim sprinted from the classroom, not looking back for a second. 

~

The ambulance had found him in the median next to the highway, crushed under the weight of his motorcycle. According to reports, he had lost control of the bike and swerved into an adjacent guardrail. Frank was, of course, the first to know, but he never showed up at the hospital. Jim was in a coma and things were looking bleak.

Bones found out four hours after the accident had occurred.

And no matter how many times he told himself “Leonard McCoy doesn’t cry”,

He knew he was a terrible liar.


	7. Chapter 7

It took days for Jim to even show the slightest signs of higher brain function. On day 4, he squeezed Bones’ hands and Bones nearly fell out of his chair in shock followed by utter glee. Sulu came to see him on day 5, but he didn’t stay long, couldn’t stand to see Jim, who was always a ball of energy, laying in a deathlike stillness. Other friends came and went but Jim remained, motionless as ever. On day 8, Bones began to lose hope.

-

He’d always been an observant child. He remembers always watching the bees who zoomed in and around his mother’s vivid flower bushes that were nestled next to the old farm-house. Now was no different. The blonde haired boy was fascinating. Though the kid had only known him for a few days, the boy, “Jimmy” is what he went by, had made it a sort of life mission to protect Lenny at all costs. And even as Lenny was dragged away by the bulky assailants, he felt no malice towards him. He knew that if he was in the same situation he would have done the same thing, regardless of how painful it was to see Jimmy turn his back and flee.

-

He woke up on the floor. Could practically feel his shoulder screaming as he got up to splash some cool water on his face. Bones knew he needed more sleep but it was damn hard to get anyway with the way he worried about Jim. And the dreams were no help. They’d started up again after Jim… Bones shuffled back to bed. He couldn’t help but wonder where Jimmy was now what with all the recurring dreams, memories more like. 

Eventually he gave up and grabbed the PADD sitting on his nightstand. Sleep seemed impossible without finding out at this point. Knowing there was no way he would find Jimmy just by looking up the first name, he scrolled through the available list of Tarsus survivors. He passed a few James’s but they were all too old to have been the boy he met. He started to give up before reaching the bottom and seeing “James Kirk” in bold letters. 

For some reason, the last name sounded vaguely familiar. As he clicked on the name and scrolled through the available information it finally dawned on him. 

Jim Kirk.

James T. Kirk.

Jimmy…

The boy he had thought about all those years had been staring him right in the face. Literally. 

~

Too bright. Too fucking bright.

Jim couldn’t open his eyes but for the searing pain near the base of his skull.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t given that choice.

Next thing he knew, some nurse was prying open his eyelids and trying to blind him. So much for formalities.

He couldn’t remember much leading up to waking up in the hospital. He knew he’d wrecked his bike and that it must have been pretty severe considering his position now and the ache he felt from head to toe. As far as what had happened before the accident, that was as vivid as real time. He knew he was worthless. A waste of air. A waste of time. There was no point for him to even be here-

Jim was jostled from his thoughts by a hand on his forearm. He shifted slightly, trying to squint at whoever was touching him. He knew it was Bones before his vision even started to focus. And damn did he look tired, probably as tired as Jim felt. He had large dark circles and his eyes carried this dull quality that horrified Jim more than anything else. Jim all but bolted up in bed before seeing the soft smile on Bones’ face, the glimmer of hope. 

Before he could say anything he noticed one of the nurses injecting some sort of sedative into his IV line and he slowly began to slip out of consciousness. The last thing he saw was Bones. And damn but was there nothing else more reassuring.

-

Leonard was happy. More than happy, he was ecstatic. But also worried and, frankly, quite nauseous. He had no idea how to approach the Tarsus topic. Did Jim know? More importantly, did Jim remember? After all that had happened, it was surprisingly easy to forgive Jim for what he had done, even though he hadn’t told Jim so. That was another thing, how was he supposed to tell Jim?

Maybe he just… won’t tell him.

After all, if Jim knows he’ll just begin to hate Leonard and then Len will lose the only close friend he has had in a long time and-

It was ridiculous, Leonard knew it was. But that was the thing about Tarsus kids. When it came down to it, self-preservation was the name of the game

-

A couple of days after Jim had officially woken up, he was able to leave the hospital. No extraneous activities, of course, but all Jim cared about was sleeping on something besides that god awful, rock of a hospital bed. 

Surprisingly, Frank had been the one to drive him home from the hospital, the reason being that Winona had been notified of the incident and had asked him to. The funny thing about Frank was that, as much as he hated Jim, he still had a creepy fondness for Jim’s mother. The car ride was tense, but not completely unbearable. When Jim got home, he shuffled up the stairs with renewed gusto. 

Leonard’s phone buzzed against his bed side table. He’d been working on a project all afternoon and hadn’t paid it too much attention. Picking up the phone, he saw Jim’s contact across the screen and scrambled to answer. 

“Hey, Jim. You get released from the hospital?”

“Sure did!”

It was nice hearing Jim’s voice again.

“Need me to drive you home?”

“Nah, Frank did actually…”

The surprise in his voice pretty much confirmed Leonard’s theory that Frank was a shitty caretaker.

“Oh, ok… Are you feeling any better?”

“Significantly. Listen, Bones, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. Do you think I could come over sometime this week?”

“Sure, I’m gonna be pretty busy on Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday should be fine.”

“Wednesday, it’s a date!”

Leonard could practically feel Jim smirking through the phone.

-

For Jim, Monday and Tuesday seemed to drag on for an eternity. He was still pretty weak from the accident so the doctor hadn’t allowed him to return to school just yet. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing considering-

No. Jim wasn’t even going to give Cupcake the pleasure of terrorizing his thoughts.

Besides, he had more important things to worry about… like what he was going to wear for his date on Wednesday. (He’d given up trying to convince himself it wasn’t a date at this point.)

Frantically, Jim rifled through his closet trying to find something that wasn’t a plain t-shirt, but also not his only tuxedo. After finally finding something somewhat presentable, he decided to put more thought into what exactly he was going to say to Bones. Jim knew that he would have to tell him everything and hope for the best, but he might as well try to sound eloquent. 

It seemed like before he could more than blink, it was Wednesday afternoon and Bones would be picking him up in 20 minutes. He felt nowhere near ready. Resigned to the disaster this all might become, Jim trudged down the stairs, thankfully, avoiding the snoring Frank sprawled across the couch. Stepping into the crisp spring air, Jim immediately noticed Bones’ old pickup truck approaching his driveway. His parents had offered to buy him a better one but Bones had wanted to stick with the car he worked long hour to pay for, no matter how shitty it was.

It was one of the things he liked about him so much, his want to earn the things he received. Bones was always so humble and smart and kind and funny and-

Of course Jim would get butterflies right as he had to leave. He’d been fine earlier, what the hell?!

Bones’ smile was as radiant as ever and it disheartened Jim thinking about the crushed expression it might soon be replaced with. Unfortunately, Jim wasn’t the only one to make note of his nervousness.

“Hey, Jim! You all right? Those nurses didn’t beat you up too much, did they?”

“Hi, Bones. I’m good. I just… Remember how I told you I have something REALLY important to tell you?”

Bones gave a worried chuckle, “You might have mentioned that.”

Len hadn’t let on, but he had been worrying about what Jim was going to tell him for quite some time. Did he have a girlfriend? Did he not want to be friends anymore? Did he like Len as much as Len…?

No… that would be ridiculous. 

~

The drive so far had been excruciating to say the least. The setting sun out of the passenger’s side window bounced off of Jim’s wheat colored hair creating a sort of dreamlike halo. It took all of Lens will-power to keep his eyes focused on the road ahead. As the two neared Leonard’s driveway, his palms began to sweat and Jim was looking paler than usual. Len understood the reason for his own nerves, but he couldn’t place his finger on why Jim seemed so… off. 

By the time the two had made their way up the winding staircase, Len’s stomach was in knots. He had no idea what to say to Jim.

Jim, who he’d known only briefly yet all his life.

Jim, who’d been his friend from the moment they met.

Jim, who he’d grown to love… to be IN love with.

Len was jolted out of his thoughts by Jim’s hand on his shoulder. He looked concerned, but not only that. He also looked frightened. As if he had seen a ghost.

Before his brain could even register, the word escaped his lips.

The small world with so much meaning.

“Tarsus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to say it but this story is nearing its close. I'd just like to say that I've had so much fun writing this and thank you so much to all who have commented and given kudos. You guys mean the world to me :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long! I've had a lot going on recently and it's taken a toll on me :/. However, I enjoyed writing this story so so much and I can't wait to write more. Thank you for all of your kudos and comments! :)

Jim gaped at him.

The two stood in silence for what felt like hours. Len could see all of the emotions playing out on Jim's shocked face. The fear and guilt and the small bit of hope. Something so hidden Leonard had almost convinced himself it wasn't there. Jim began to back away from him, as if he had been bitten by some harsh accusation. But before he could bolt, Len grasped his wrist, his grip steadfast. He spoke softly.

"Jim, it's ok."

"You know damn well it isn't...What I did to you..." Jim sounded utterly broken. Len could tell he was holding back tears. It pained him to see Jim this way; so fragile and wounded.

"You were just a kid, Jim, you can't blame yourself for what happened."

"I left you! I thought you were gone, dead. I thought I'd never see you again... I thought-" He crumbled.

~

Jim cried for the first time in years. He didn't just cry, he sobbed. He wanted so badly to just pull away and hide. Bones must think of him so lowly after seeing his reaction. Bones should be the one upset, not him.

Bones wrapped his arms around him and pulled Jim flush to his chest. Jim clenched his fists in Bone's shirt as if he were afraid someone would drag him away. He wanted Bones to yell at him. To scream and throw his fists and be angry at Jim for what he had done. But instead he held him, he held him as if he needed him.

"Jim, I forgive you."

Jim stared up at Bones. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he wanted so badly for the words to be true. He wanted to let go of the guilt he had clung to for so long. He wanted Bones to know that he loved him. If only he could just-

~

Len watched as Jim processed his apology. He knew it would take a long time for Jim to forgive himself, but this was a good start. The more he stared into Jim's eyes, patiently waiting for a reply, the more he wanted to tell him how he really felt. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops how much he loved him. He wanted Jim to finally get the love he had long been depraved of.

Before he could even realize what was happening, Len was leaning closer to Jim.

~

Jim was shocked out of his thoughts by the press of warm lips against his own. The kiss was simultaneously everything he had imagined and nothing like it. As Bones pulled away, Jim could see the shock and fear in his eyes but before he could pull away Jim embraced him with a chaste kiss. The two boys stood in each others arms for awhile, minds racing and hearts pounding.

"It's a small world, huh, Jimmy?"

"Shut up, Len," Jim giggled as he drew Leonard closer to kiss the smirk off his lips. He couldn't help but hope he would always have that luxury.


End file.
